Norfolk County Council committee backs road gritting cut

Gritters may be a less regular sight on Norfolk's roads this winter after councillors approved a plan to reduce the temperature at which they are sent out

Roads in West Norfolk may not be gritted as often this winter after new measures were approved by councillors.

Proposals to reduce the temperature at which teams are sent out to treat roads were approved by Norfolk County Council’s environment, development and transport committee during a meeting in Norwich on Friday.

Officials say the move could save the authority around £100,000 a year, based on the costs of keeping routes clear of ice and snow during a typical winter.

Until now, units have been sent out on gritting runs when temperatures were forecast to drop below one degrees Celsius.

But that trigger point has now been reduced to 0.5 degrees.

A report to the committee said: “This should reduce the number of unnecessary actions.”

A new programme which will see inspections of major routes maintained by the council reduced from monthly to one every six weeks was also approved by the committee.

The measure, which is expected to reduce spending by around £25,000 a year, is scheduled to come into force next April.